On subfÌields of radical extensions

A Jordan pair is constructed from a pair of cubic forms satisfying the adjoint identities. Given some parameters and an incidence structure S having three points on each line and no more than one line through two points, a pair of cubic forms are constructed. These forms satisfy the adjoint identities if and only if S is either a star or a generalized quadrangle and the parameters are precisely determined.     

Crystal structure of the quaternary alloy CuTaInSe3

The crystal structure of the quaternary compound CuTaInSe₃ belonging to the system (CuInSe₂)_1‐x(TaSe)_x with x= 0.5, was analyzed using X‐ray powder diffraction data. This material is isostructural with the CuFeInSe₃ compound, and crystallize in the tetragonal space group P42c (Nº 112), Z = 1, with unit cell parameters a = 5.7831(1) Å, c = 11.6227(4) Å, V = 388.71(2) ų. The Rietveld refinement of 18 instrumental and structural variables led to R_p = 8.0%, R_wp = 9.5%, R_exp = 6.3% and χ² = 1.5 for 4501 step intensities and 144 independent reflections. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Current noise through a Kondo quantum dot in a SU(N) Fermi liquid state

The current noise through a mesoscopic quantum dot is calculated and analyzed in the Fermi liquid regime of the SU(N) Kondo model. The results connect the Johnson-Nyquist noise to the shot noise for an arbitrary ratio of voltage and temperature, and show that temperature corrections are sizable in the usual experiments. For the experimentally relevant SU(4) case, quasiparticle interactions are shown to increase the shot noise.     

Activation energies for nucleation and growth and critical cluster size dependence in JMAK analyses of kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations of precipitation

Kinetic Monte-Carlo (KMC) methods are used as an approach to simulate precipitation in Cu-alloyed bcc Fe. In order to characterize the process, transformed fractions, that is, the precipitated atoms, are related to Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov theory. However, simulated data often deviate from corresponding fit curves and so does the resulting growth exponent when compared to theoretical expectations. Furthermore, some data may suggest the development of a metastable phase. In our study, we show that the characteristics of the transformed fraction and, as a consequence, the derived growth exponents sensitively depend on the number of atoms that are considered to form a particle and hence contribute to the transformed fraction. With a temperature dependence of the critical cluster size and additionally accounting for severe impingement of the particles, we obtain growth exponents which lie close to the expected range between n = 1.5 and n = 2.5 for pre-existing nuclei or continuous nucleation, respectively. From these, we obtain activation energies for nucleation and growth of precipitates. In this way, atomistic KMC simulations yield thermodynamical quantities, which can be valuable input parameters for larger length scale simulation methods, for example, for Phase Field Method simulations.     

Calibration of discrete element modeling:Scaling laws and dimensionless analysis

In this paper,dynamic similarity conditions are derived for discrete element simulations by non-dimensionalising the governing equations.These conditions must b...     

Correlation between surface tension and void fraction in ionic liquids

An effort to systematize published and new data on the surface tension gamma of ionic liquids (ILs) is based on the hypothesis that the dimensionless surface tension parameter gamma V v (2/3)/ kT is a function of the void fraction x v = V v/ V m. The void volume V v is defined as the difference between the liquid volume V m occupied by an ion pair (known from cationic and anionic masses and liquid density measurements) and the sum V (+) + V (-) of the cationic and anionic volumes (known from crystal structures), while kT is the thermal energy. Our hypothesis that gamma V m (2/3)/ kT = G( x v) is initially based on cavity theory. It is then refined based on periodic lattice modeling, which reveals that the number N of voids per unit cell (hence the dimensionless surface tension) must depend on x v. Testing our hypothesis against data for the five ILs for which surface tension and density data are available over a wide range of temperatures collapses all of these data almost on a single curve G( x v), provided that slight (4%) self-consistent modifications are introduced on published crystallographic data for V (+) and V (-). An attempt to correlate the surface tension vs temperature data available for inorganic molten salts is similarly successful, but at the expense of larger shifts on the published ionic radii (8.8% for K; 3.3% for I). The collapsed G( x v) curves for ILs and inorganic salts do not overlap anywhere on x v space, and appear to be different from each other. The existence of a relation between gamma and x v is rationalized with a simple capillary model minimizing the energy. Our success in correlating surface tension to void fraction may apply also to other liquid properties.     

Synthesis of hydroxycinnamic acid glucuronides and investigation of their affinity for human serum albumin

Hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) are among the most abundant dietary polyphenols. Recent bioavailability studies have shown that HCAs enter the blood circulation mainly as glucuronides, which are thus most likely to express their potential health effects. In this work, an efficient synthesis of HCA O-arylglucuronides is developed. As for many xenobiotics, the resilience of HCA O-arylglucuronides in plasma and subsequent delivery to tissues could be governed by their binding to human serum albumin (HSA). Hence, the affinity of HCA O-arylglucuronides for HSA and its possible binding site were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy. HCA O-arylglucuronides turn out to be moderate HSA ligands (K in the range 1-4 x 10(4) M(-1)) that bind HSA in sub-domain IIA, competitively or noncompetitively with other sub-domain IIA ligands such as dansylamide and the flavonol quercetin.     

Synthesis, X-ray, and electronic structures of a new nickel dibromide complex. Activity in the regioselective catalyzed dimerization of ethylene into 1-butene

Reaction of the bis-(3,4)-dimethylphosphole-Xanthene 1b with [NiBr2(DME)] afforded a new nickel(II) dibromide complex, 2. Both its color and its NMR behavior change with temperature and solvent due to changes in the spin state of the complex. This led us to study the complex spin states using DFT calculations. Furthermore, the activity of 2 in catalyzed ethylene dimerization was studied, revealing both high activity and selectivity toward the production of 1-butene.